Dear Indian Sportspeople, Take a Cue from Lance Armstrong

The story of a hero who never was always makes for a fascinating read. And in sports, where players automatically turn into heroes for their brilliance, the rise and fall of Lance Armstrong will be the best story for a long time to come.

Armstrong has reportedly accepted to Oprah Winfrey that he doped his way to victory on the Tour de France titles that have now becomes synonymous with him. His critics have been vindicated and they have vehemently begun pressing for more charges and damages from the man who conned the world into believing in his myth.

It is indeed cowardice to hide behind lies to build a career but there is one aspect that we must not forget. Armstrong has admitted to the charges on his own on a television network out of his own volition.

Compare this with the regular denials and cheap officialdom where Indian sports is concerned. While former South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje admitted to being influenced by bookies from India, not a single Indian player has ever spoken of playing under dubious circumstances. Names of players like Kapil Dev (No, please don’t cry if you read this Mr Dev), Mohammed Azharuddin (Oh sorry, you have been exonerated. Congratulations!) and Manoj Prabhakar (Status still unclear yes? Good on you sir!) are still part of everyday discussions. In a country where cricket is a religion, harassing gods can only mean sacrilege; so goes the thought.

Take athletics then, a much less glamourised sport in India. Remember anyone spectacular who emerged after P T Usha? Do the names of Sini Jose, Mandeep Kaur and Ashwini Akkunji ring a bell? Well, these three athletes failed a drug test in 2011 and were banned immediately by sports minister Ajay Maken. The trio had earlier won awards at Commonwealth and Asian Games earlier with Akkunji even creating a personal best record at the 400m hurdles but India’s Olympic hopes were dashed last year because of the doping charges.

In all, India lost six female athletes, one female shotput player and one male long-jumper to doping rather than get their confessions, fast track their case, put them on rehab and bring them back into the game. None of them have so far admitted to any wrongdoing even though traces of banned anabolic steroid were found in the urine of some these athletes among other banned substances. Instead, the matter became one of claims and counter claims between players and officials while the foreign coach was fired over the issue. Even Maharaj Kaushik and the ugly sex scandal that rocked the women’s hockey team in 2010 is now forgotten.

When will our players develop a culture of confessing to our misdeeds? What does it take to acknowledge that players are human beings too, and that there are some of them who get carried away by the many lures of sport?

You can say what you want about Armstrong but at least he has begun to talk about his imperfection. The man who fought testicular cancer will undoubtedly take on the second biggest fight of his life now. As long he walks that path with truth, there is no need to turn him into a villain.

The last major sporting scandal of such magnitude was perhaps Tiger Woods’ infidelity coming out into the open in an ugly manner. I leave you with some words from his public apology, something you will not hear from any Indian player in a while. However, this is a great primer for any player who wants to get started. An alternate version of this will be given out by Armstrong as well. Let us hear him out before branding him with terrible invectives.

“I knew my actions were wrong. But I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn't have far -- didn't have to go far to find them.

I was wrong. I was foolish. I don't get to play by different rules.

I am also aware of the pain my behavior has caused. I have let you down. I have let down my fans. For many of you, especially my friends, my behavior has been a personal disappointment. To those of you who work for me, I have let you down, personally and professionally. My behavior has caused considerable worry to my business partners.

I have made you question who I am and how I have done the things I did. I am embarrassed that I have put you in this position. For all that I have done, I am so sorry. I have a lot to atone for.”